Episode 1: Mountbatten decides to attempt the challenge of becoming Viceroy of India with the aim of fulfilling the Labor Party's promise of Indian independence. He is optimistic, despite news of escalating violence between Muslims and Hindus, and his wife, Lady Edwina, shares his enthusiasm for returning to India. The break the mold for the Viceroy, inviting Indians to Viceroy House and dropping into a party thrown by Nehru.
Episode 2: The fight over the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan heats up. Gandhi believes partition would make a mockery of his life's work and suggests turning over all of India to Jinnah to avoid dividing the country. Churchill argues for keeping India a British colony. Mountbatten and Patel believe partition is inevitable and the only way to avert more bloodshed is to make the plan for independence include a paragraph of the partition process. Nehru reluctantly goes along with.
Episode 3: Mountbatten accelerates the timetable for British withdrawal and settles on a date just months away. The princely states clamor for independence, providing another stumbling block. To establish boundaries for the partition, Mountbatten calls on Sir Cyril Radcliffe and gives him only five weeks for the task. The agreement for independence and partition is signed without the boundaries evaluated.
Episode 4: After the jubilation of independence day, anger and fear rise up in response to partition. Mountbatten agrees to stay on as governor general as long as he is needed but Jinnah refuses his services for Pakistan. A refugee crisis erupts as Hindus flee Pakistan. Gandhi goes on a hunger strike to quell the violence in Calcutta and then Delhi. 14 million people are turned into refugees.
Episode 5: As whole sections of Delhi rage out of control, Nehru calls on Mountbatten to head an emergency committee to quell the insurgency. When the tribesmen loyal to Jinnah invade Kashmir, Nehru begins to lose hope and falls ill.
Episode 6: Edwina facilitates supplies to the refugee camps, but with up to 1,000 new refugees arriving every day at each camp the situation is dire. Pakistan will not recognize the accession of Kashmir to India, tipping the scales toward war. Furious at Jinnah, Patel and Nehru vow to withhold money from Pakistan. Gandhi fasts until they agree to send the money and the leaders of all the religious factions agree to work for peace. A period of calm arrives but the tension grows between Patel and Nehru. Patel threatens to resign from the Indian National Congress. Then the unthinkable happens.--Gandhi is assassinated by a radical Hindu mad about partition. But Nehru inspires all Indians to bring Gandhi's dream to fruition.
Episode 1: Mountbatten decides to attempt the challenge of becoming Viceroy of India with the aim of fulfilling the Labor Party's promise of Indian independence. He is optimistic, despite news of escalating violence between Muslims and Hindus, and his wife, Lady Edwina, shares his enthusiasm for returning to India. The break the mold for the Viceroy, inviting Indians to Viceroy House and dropping into a party thrown by Nehru.
Episode 2: The fight over the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan heats up. Gandhi believes partition would make a mockery of his life's work and suggests turning over all of India to Jinnah to avoid dividing the country. Churchill argues for keeping India a British colony. Mountbatten and Patel believe partition is inevitable and the only way to avert more bloodshed is to make the plan for independence include a paragraph of the partition process. Nehru reluctantly goes along with.
Episode 3: Mountbatten accelerates the timetable for British withdrawal and settles on a date just months away. The princely states clamor for independence, providing another stumbling block. To establish boundaries for the partition, Mountbatten calls on Sir Cyril Radcliffe and gives him only five weeks for the task. The agreement for independence and partition is signed without the boundaries evaluated.
Episode 4: After the jubilation of independence day, anger and fear rise up in response to partition. Mountbatten agrees to stay on as governor general as long as he is needed but Jinnah refuses his services for Pakistan. A refugee crisis erupts as Hindus flee Pakistan. Gandhi goes on a hunger strike to quell the violence in Calcutta and then Delhi. 14 million people are turned into refugees.
Episode 5: As whole sections of Delhi rage out of control, Nehru calls on Mountbatten to head an emergency committee to quell the insurgency. When the tribesmen loyal to Jinnah invade Kashmir, Nehru begins to lose hope and falls ill.
Episode 6: Edwina facilitates supplies to the refugee camps, but with up to 1,000 new refugees arriving every day at each camp the situation is dire. Pakistan will not recognize the accession of Kashmir to India, tipping the scales toward war. Furious at Jinnah, Patel and Nehru vow to withhold money from Pakistan. Gandhi fasts until they agree to send the money and the leaders of all the religious factions agree to work for peace. A period of calm arrives but the tension grows between Patel and Nehru. Patel threatens to resign from the Indian National Congress. Then the unthinkable happens.--Gandhi is assassinated by a radical Hindu mad about partition. But Nehru inspires all Indians to bring Gandhi's dream to fruition.